Childs and Mowaljarlai Jr share the spoils in Rod Gillies Medal, Valli claims Warrick Proudlove Medal in 16s

Royals midfielder Cooper Childs and Albany utility Luke Mowaljarlai Jr have become the first joint winners of the Rod Gillies Medal since 2004, winning the award for the best and fairest colts player in the Great Southern Football League on Tuesday night. Denmark-Walpole duo Tom Morrison and Adam Marchant were the last players to tie for the prestigious honour. Childs was two votes clear of Mowaljarlai Jr, Railways’ Jaxon McLean and Lions’ Liam Buss at the halfway mark. Mowaljarlai Jr polled two votes in round seven to move level with Childs and a best-on-ground performance in round nine had him in front heading into the last round. Childs polled three votes in the Lions’ 65-point win over North Albany in the final round to jump back to the top. Mowaljarlai Jr and Childs, both 16, finished on nine votes, ahead of Lions’ Ben Altus on seven votes, all of which came in the second half of the year, while McLean and Sharks duo Max Baker and Damian Woods were next with six. Childs said the medal win came as a surprise. “I didn’t expect it at all, I thought we had high-quality teams and would steal votes from each other,” Childs said. “It means a lot to be recognised because I have only being playing footy for two years. “I don’t see this as an individual medal, more as a team award. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.” Like Childs, Mowaljarlai Jr has been exposed to senior football this season. “I thought I had no chance because I been playing league and haven’t played full games,” Mowaljarlai Jr said. “This award gives me chills, I’m surprised and wasn’t expecting it.” Earlier in the night top talent Ryley Valli was rewarded for his stellar year with the Lions, winning in a tight finish for the Warrick Proudlove Medal for the best player in the 16s competition. Valli had three best-afield performances in the first five rounds to share the lead on nine votes with Magpies’ Joshua Thompson, who polled in four of the first five rounds. The young Lions star polled two votes in rounds six and seven before earning three votes in rounds eight and 10 to finish on 19 votes and shade Thompson by one vote. Thompson was judged best-afield in three of the last four games but fell just short on 18. Mt Barker’s Sebastian Ballard was third with 14 followed by Tigers’ Mohit Jaggi and Bulls’ Ben Kirkwood on 11. “It’s a big honour to win this award, it is a good competition and a lot of good players,” 16-year-old Valli said. “I thought I would poll pretty well and I knew I had a good season and that I would come home strong.” Lions’ Seb Stanton (19 goals) and Sharks’ Tobyn Lowry (31) won the colts and 16s goal kicking awards respectively.